The Most Commonly Underemployed by Major and Degree Level, and Job

Students choose their educational paths for all kinds of reasons, including enjoying the field of study or preparing for a dream job that requires a specific degree. No one would ever suggest you modify your decisions based solely on occupational outlook. But it's never a bad idea to go into a years-long educational commitment armed with information. So take a look at our research, which shows the college majors and degree levels whose graduates most frequently describe themselves as underemployed. Maybe you want to avoid them...

For example, more than 56 percent of Physical Education Teaching Bachelors degree holders report being underemployed. The reason? About 80 percent say they're not using their education at work. And of the almost 53 percent of graduates who hold a Bachelors degree in Project Management, number six in our list of common underemployed majors, more than 91 percent says they’re not using their education or training in the workplace.

After you hold your degree—or degrees—in your hands, it's time to get a job. Think carefully here, too, as some jobs report a significantly higher underemployment rate than others. For example, the number three ranked job on our list of most commonly underemployed? Dog Groomer and Bather. But before you spend all your sympathy on the staff of your local canine salon, System Support Technicians and Front End Supervisors both report a higher underemployment rate than Dog Groomers, coming in at number one and number two on our list, respectively.